Milpa Tamal Midnight black beans, heirloom tomatoes, hoja santa, purslane, squash blossom, chile costeño & papalo oil. Milpa is not only an ancient self-sustaining agricultural system used throughout Mesoamerica but also a sociocultural construct. It involves complex interactions between farmers, as well as distinct personal relationships with both the crops and land. ‘Hacer Milpa’ is the central act, one which binds together the family, the community, the universe.